Curriculum Vitae

CURRICULUM VITAE: NEIL V. ROSENBERG

92 Highland Drive

St.John's, Newfoundland A1A 3C5 

(709) 579-9226

nvros@.mun.ca

Personal Library Collection at Memorial University:

http://www.library.mun.ca/asc/specialcollections/collections/rosenberg/

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Indiana University, 1970.

Folklore major, history minor; ethnomusicology coursework.

Dissertation: "Stereotype and Tradition: White Folklore About Blacks."

M.A., Indiana University, 1964.

Folklore major.  Thesis: "An Annotated Collection of Parrot Jokes."

B.A., Oberlin College, 1961.

History major.

TEACHING

Professor Emeritus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005.

Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1985-2004.

Associate Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1975-85.

Assistant Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1971-75.

Lecturer, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1968-71.

Courses taught at Memorial:

Introduction to Folklore, Folklore Research Methods, Folklore Classification and Analysis, Reading Course in Folklore Theory, History of Folklore Studies, Folklore of Canada, Introduction to Folksong, Music and Culture, Folklore and Oral History, Major Folklore Genres, Folklore Archival Theory and Technique, Public Sector Folklore Discussion Group, Survey of Folklore, Advanced Folkloristics, Issues in Folklife, Public Sector Folklore, Newfoundland Folklore, Studies in Newfoundland Folklore: Vernacular Music, Folk Music Canons and Documentary Sound Recordings.

Teaching duties at Memorial included directed reading courses.

Visiting Professor, University of Prince Edward Island, summer 1978. Course taught: Introduction to Folklore.

Visiting Instructor, University of Texas, Austin Campus, summer 1968. Course taught: General Folklore.

Teaching Associate, Indiana University, Indianapolis Downtown Campus, spring and summer semesters, 1966. Course taught: American Folklore.

THESES AND DISSERTATIONS SUPERVISED

Finch, Mark. "Bluegrass In and Around Toronto: Urban Scenes, Regional Imaginaries, and Divergent Trajectories" (Ph.D., Music, 2016).

Finch, Mark. "Performance and the Experience of Authenticity: An Ethnography of Two Bluegrass Nights in Toronto." (M.R.P., Ethnomusicology, 2010)

Lines, Linda M. "Folklore-In-Education: A Teaching Tool in the Classroom." (M.A., 2003).

McGann, Joseph Clifford. "Dan R. MacDonald: Creativity and Change within the Cape Breton Fiddle Milieu." (M.A., 2003).

Gholson, Martha Rachel. "Folklore of Southern Literature as Folkloristic Process: Portrayals of the Cane River Region in the Short Stories of Ada Jack Carver." (Ph.D., 2002).

Allen, Lucy. "Vernacular Music Brokers and Mediators in the South 1900-1932." (Ph.D., 2001).

Stepanek, Heidi. "An Examination of Folk Music Inspired Composition in Canada Through an Analysis of Settings of 'Dans tous les cantons.'" (M.A., 2001).

Haruna, Zainab. "Bura Folksongs: An Analysis of Their Types, Occasions, Themes, Techniques and Functions." (Ph.D., 1998).

Hiscock, Philip. "The Barrelman Radio Programme, 1937-1943: The Mediation and Use of Folklore in Newfoundland." (Ph.D., 1995).

Mackay, John Wisdom. "Country Music Performance in Northern Nova Scotia: An Occupational Study of Art Fitt, Vernacular Craftsman." (Ph.D., 1995).

Rahn, Millie C. "Club 47: An Historical Ethnography of a Folk Revival Venue in North America, 1958-1968." (M.A., 1994). Revision subsequently published as "Looking Backward: Club 47 and the Folk Revival in Cambridge" in A City's Life and Times: Cambridge in the 20th Century, ed. Daphne Abeel (Cambridge: Cambridge Historical Society, 2007) 

Dettmer, Elke. "An Analysis of the Concept of Folklorism with Specific Reference to Folk Culture in Newfoundland." (Ph.D, 1993).

Bishop, Julia C. "The Song Complex of 'The Moonshine Can': An Integrated Approach to the Study of Words and Music in Traditional Song." (Ph.D, 1992).

Saugeres, Lise. "Figgy Duff and Newfoundland Culture." (M.A., 1992).

Halley, Morgiana P. "Marine Disasters in Newfoundland Folk Balladry Including A Classifcatory System for Sea Disaster Narrative." (M.A., 1989).

McKinnon, Ian Francis. "Fiddling to Fortune: The Role of Commercial Recordings Made by Cape Breton Fiddlers in the Fiddle Music Tradition of Cape Breton Island." (M.A., 1989).

MacDonald, Martha Jane. "Group Identity in Social Gatherings: Traditions and Community on the Iona Peninsula, Cape Breton." (M.A., 1986).

Holden, Penelope Daphne. "The Expression of Tradition: Perennial Gardening in St.John's, Newfoundland." (M.A., 1985).

Doucette, C.M.Laurel. "The Emergence of New Expressive Skills in Retirement and Later Life in Contemporary Newfoundland." (Ph.D., 1985).

Brauner, Cheryl. "A Study of the Newport Folk Festival and the Newport Folk Foundation." (M.A., 1985).

Kahn, Alison J. "The Jews of St.John's, Newfoundland: A Rhetorical Approach to a Community Autobiography." (M.A., 1984). Revision subsequently published as Listen While I Tell You by the Institute for Social and Economic Research, St.John's, Newfoundland.

Hornby, James J. "The Fiddle on the Island: Fiddling Tradition on Prince Edward Island." (M.A., 1983).

Dunsiger, Jane. "A Comparative Study of Narrative Accounts of Visits Home Drawn From the Immigrant Ethnic Community in St.John's, Newfoundland." (M.A., 1983).

Boe, David S. "A Musical Analysis of Folktunes from Deseronto, Ontario." (M.A., 1983).

McNaughton, Janet Elizabeth. "A Study of the C.P.R.-Sponsored Quebec Folk Song and Handicraft Festivals, 1927-1930." (M.A., 1982).

Quigley, Colin Harding. "Folk Dance and Dance Events in Rural Newfoundland." (M.A., 1981).  Revision subsequently published as Close to the Floor: Folk Dance in Newfoundland by Memorial University of Newfoundland. 

McCarl, Robert Smith, Jr. "Occupational Folklife: An Examination of the Expressive Aspects of the Work Culture with Particular Reference to Firefighters." (Ph.D., 1980).

Swackhammer, Robert M. "'I'm a Professional, But I'm Not on Records': The Reflection of a Performer's Self-Image in his Repertoire." (M.A., 1979).

Mercer, Harold Paul. "A Bio-Bibliography of Newfoundland Songs in Printed Sources." (M.A., 1978).

Kosby, Joan Barbara. "An Ethnography of the St. Albans Folk Club." (M.A., 1978).

Taft, Michael E. "The Lyrics of Race Record Blues, 1920-1942: A Semantic Approach to the Structural Analysis of a Formulaic System." (Ph.D., 1977). Revision subsequently published as The Blues Lyric Formula by Routledge.

Kodish, Debora Gail. "'Good Friends and Bad Enemies': Robert W. Gordon and American Folksong Scholarship." (M.A., 1977). Revision subsequently published under the same title by the University of Illinois Press for the American Folklore Society.

Doucette, C. M. Laurel. "Skill and Status: Traditional Expertise Within a Rural Canadian Family." (M.A., 1977). Revision subsequently published under the same title by the Canadian Centre for Folk Culture Studies.

Cox, Gordon Sidney A. "Some Aspects of the Folk Music Complex of a Newfoundland Outport." (M.A., 1976). Revision subsequently published as Folk Music in a Newfoundland Outport by the Canadian Centre for Folk Culture Studies.

Scott, John R. "The Function of Folklore in the Interrelationship of the Newfoundland Seal Fishery and the Home Communities of the Sealers." (M.A., 1975). 

Posen, I. Sheldon. "Songs and Singing Traditions at Children's Camps." (M.A., 1974).

Jackson, S.H. "Some Masking Customs of German-Speaking Central Europe: A Descriptive Survey." (M.A., 1973).

Wareham, Wilfred. "Social Change and Musical Tradition: The Role of Singing in the Life of a Newfoundland Traditional Singer." (M.A., 1972).

ADMINISTRATION

Director of Graduate Administration, Department of Folklore, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1983-84, 1994-96, 1997-2004.

Head, pro tempore, Department of Folklore, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1973-74; 1975-76.

Acting Head, Department of Folklore, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1971-72; 1978-79.

Research Associate, Indiana University Folklore Institute, 1966-68. (An academic appointment officially described as "Coordinating Supervisor" by the Folklore Institute, this position involved administrative and archival duties within the Institute.)

ARCHIVES

Director, Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive 1976-90.

Archivist, Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive, 1968-76.

Cataloger, Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music, 1966-68.

Research Assistant, Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music, 1964-66.

EDITORIAL

Corresponding Editor, Journal of Folklore Research, 1997-2008

Editor, Newsletter of the Music and Song Section of the American Folklore Society, 1992-93

Recorded Sound Reviews Editor, Journal of American Folklore, 1990-95

Advisory Board member, Old Time Country, 1988-95

Associate Editor, Canadian Folk Music Journal, 1979-82.

Editorial Board member, Ethnomusicology, 1968-73.

Co-editor, Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music Trimester Report, 1965-68. 

FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS

Helen Creighton Foundation Grant-in-Aid, May 1993.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Travel Grant, July, 1999, October 1995, October 1993, October 1992, October 1990, May 1989, March 1988, October 1986, October 1985.

Memorial University of Newfoundland, Vice-President's Research Grant, 1988; 1972.

Minister of State, Multiculturalism Grant ("CODCO Scripts Start-Up" for Newfoundland Performing Arts Archives Project Steering Committee) 1985.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Program Grant (for Atlantic Canada Institute Colloquium), 1981.

Canada Council Conference Grant (for Canadian Oral History Association Annual Meetings), 1975.

Canada Council Leave Fellowship, 1974-75.

Memorial University of Newfoundland Vice-President's Grant for Improvement of Qualifications, 1970.

Ford Summer Fellow, 1963.

N.D.E.A. Title IV Fellow (American Studies: Folklore), 1961-64.

AWARDS, HONOURS

Inductee, Canadian Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, 2024.

Inductee, Intermational Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Fame, 2014.

The Marius Barbeau Award of the Folklore Studies Association of Canada. 2001.

Winner, National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences "Grammy" for Best Album Notes, 1997, for the Anthology of American Folk Music (Smithsonian Folkways SF 40090). 1998

Member, Fellows of the American Folklore Society. Elected 1997.

Flatt & Scruggs: 1948-1959 (Bear Family, BCD 15472, 1991) named to The American Folklife Center's American Folk Music and Folklore Recordings 1991: A Selected List. 1992.

Voted "Bluegrass Features Writer of the Year" by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America at their 17th Anniversary Bluegrass Music Awards National Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, February, 1991.

Bill Monroe: Bluegrass 1950-1958 (Bear Family Records BCD 15423) named to the American Folklife Center's American Folk Music and Folklore Recordings 1989: A Selected List. December, 1990.

Country: The Music and the Musicians (includes essay "Blue Moon of Kentucky: Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Birth of Bluegrass") awarded second place in the first annual Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Awards, sponsored by BMI, Rolling Stone magazine and New York University; February, 1990.

Voted "Bluegrass Features Writer of the Year" by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America at their 16th Anniversary Bluegrass Music Awards National Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, February, 1990.

Voted "Bluegrass Features Writer of the Year" by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America at their 15th Anniversary Bluegrass Music Awards National Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, February, 1989.

Runner-Up (one of two) for the Popular Culture Association's 1988 Fishwick Award (for the best articles on popular culture studies from 1988 publications in any scholarly journals outside of those published by the Popular Press) for "Ethnicity and Class: Black Country Musicians in the Maritimes," Journal of Canadian Studies 23.1/2 (1988): 138-156.

The McCoury Brothers (Rounder 0230) named to the American Folklife Center's American Folk Music and Folklore Recordings 1987: A Selected List. 1988.

Certificate of Merit from the International Bluegrass Music Association, August, 1986. (The IBMA subsequently renamed this, first as "Award of Merit" and later as "The Distinguished Achievement Award.")

Certificate of Appreciation from the Downeast Bluegrass & Old Time Music Society, July, 1986.

Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs: The Mercury Sessions, Volumes 1 and 2 (Rounder Special Series SS18, SS19) named to the American Folklife Center's American Folk Music and Folklore Recordings 1985: A Selected List. 1986.

Bluegrass: A History winner of Country Music People Critic's Choice Award for Favorite Country Book of the Year, 1985.

UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES

(in addition to the listings below, I was a member of various committees in the Department of Folklore)

Executive Committee member, Music, Media and Place (MMAP) Research Centre, 2002-2015 (appointed).

Faculty Association, Committee to Review the Academic Freedom and Grievance Committee, 2001 (appointed).

School of Graduate Studies Ad hoc Committee on Thesis Format, 1998-99 (appointed).

Faculty Association, Committee to Review the Academic Freedom and Grievance Committee, 1998 (appointed).

School of Graduate Studies SSHRC Screening Committee, member, 1997, 1998 (appointed)

School of Graduate Studies Awards and Medals Committee, member, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000 (elected).

Academic Council of the School of Graduate Studies, member, 1991-4, 1994-6, 1997-1999 (elected).

Faculty of Arts Computing Committee (appointed), 1995-96.

Student Complaints Committee, Academic Council, School of Graduate Studies, 1995 (appointed); chair (elected).

Search Committee, School of Music, 1994-5 (appointed).

Ad-hoc Committee to review procedures for examination of graduate theses and composition of examining committees, Academic Council, School of Graduate Studies, 1994 (elected)

Search Committee for Ethnomusicologist, School of Music and Department of Folklore, 1992-3 (appointed); chair (elected).

Search Committee for Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies, member, 1992 (elected).

Selection Committee for President's Award for Outstanding Research, 1988, 1989 (appointed).

Academic Council of the School of Graduate Studies, member, 1987-90 (elected); secretary, 1988-89 (elected).

Faculty of Arts Committee on Graduate Studies, member, 1984-89; chair, 1987-89 (elected).

Senate Committee on Copyrights, member, 1980-84 (appointed).

Senate Review Committee of the Department of History, member, 1980 (appointed).

Faculty of Arts Research Committee, member, 1978-80; chair, 1980-82 (elected).

Faculty of Arts Academic Planning Committee, member, 1972-74 (elected).

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Folklore Studies Association of Canada

Canadian Society for Traditional Music (formerly, Canadian Society for Musical Traditions; before that, formerly Canadian Folk Music Society)

American Folklore Society

Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador

International Bluegrass Music Association

National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (Nashville Chapter)

PROFESSIONAL AND SERVICE ASSOCIATIONS: 

ELECTED & APPOINTED POSITIONS

The Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Board Member, 2010-2019

Bean Blossom Brown County Jamboree Preservation Foundation. Member, Board of Directors, 2008-09

Bluegrass Canada. Member, Steering Committee, 2007-2010

Bluegrass and Old-Time Country Music Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. Member, Board of Directors, 2004-08

Avalon Chapter, Newfoundland and Labrador Prostate Cancer Support Group. Member, Board of Directors, 2004-06

Folklore Studies Association of Canada

Past-President, 1998-99

President, 1997-98

President-Elect, 1996-97

Past-President, 1980-81

President, 1979-80

President-Elect, 1978-79

English Language Secretary, 1977-78

Regional Representative, 1976-77

Bluegrass Canada Magazine

Member, Advisory Board, 1990-2000

International Bluegrass Music Museum

Member, Advisory Committee, 1990-1995, 1999-2000

Member, Task Force, 1996

International Bluegrass Music Association

Member, Board of Directors, 2006-2012

Member, Hall of Honor Nominating Committee, 1993-96

Member, International Advisory Committee, 1990-95

Canadian Society for Traditional Music 

Member, Board of Directors, 1991-1997

Folk Alliance (North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance)

Lifetime Achievement Awards Panel of Electors, 1994-98

Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archivists

Member, Archival Standards Committee, 1988-89

Canadian Committee of the International Council for Traditional Music

Steering Committee, 1988-91

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame

Member, Electors Committee, 1999-2000

Member, Advisory Board, 1988-1991

Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Archives

Member, Executive Committee, 1988-89

Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association

Secretary, 1985-87

Downeast Bluegrass and Old Time Music Society (Nova Scotia)

Member, Board of Directors, 1980-81

Center for the Study of Southern Culture (University of Mississippi)

National Consultant, 1980 ff

Canadian Folk Music Society

Advisor, 1985-88

Member, Board of Directors, 1979-80

American Folklore Society

Editorial Board Member, 1990-95

Convener, Music and Song Section, 1991-93

Executive Board Member, 1978-81

Atlantic Canada Institute

Member, Board of Directors, 1976-88

President, 1981-82

Canadian Oral History Association

Vice-President, 1977-78

Treasurer, 1975-77

Society for Ethnomusicology

Member of Council, 1971-73

John Edwards Memorial Foundation (JEMF)

Member, Board of Advisors, 1978-1985

Sponsor, Friends of the JEMF, 1970-75

Hoosier Folklore Society

Member of the Executive Board, 1966-67

FORMAL PARTICIPATION AT SCHOLARLY MEETINGS

Conference Organization:

Member, Organizing Committee, The Bluegrass Music Symposium, Western Kentucky University, 2005.

Member, Organizing Committee, Sharing the Voices: The Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium, St. John's, 1997, 1999.

Organizer, Ottawa Workshop on Folklife and Automated Archives. Canadian Centre for Folk Culture Studies, National Museum of Man, Ottawa, 1984.

Member, Organizing Committee, Washington Conference on Folklife and Automated Archives: Interdisciplinary Approaches. Washington, D.C., 1984.

Chairman, Organizing Committee, Atlantic Canada Institute Colloquium ("Interiors: Cultural Patterns in the Atlantic Canadian Home"), St.John's, Newfoundland, 1981.

Member, Organizing Committee, Canadian Oral History Association Annual Meeting ("Folklore and Oral History"), St.John's, 1976.

Conference Panel Organization:

Folklorists as Broadcasters: A Forum. American Folklore Society, 1996

Canonicity in Music and Song. American Folklore Society, 1992.

Folklore and Politics: Canadian Perspectives. American Folklore Society, 1988.

Country Music Inside and Out. Popular Culture Association, 1988.

Repackaging Tradition: Studies in Bluegrass. American Folklore Society, 1986.

Round Table: Computers. Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1985.

Folk Music. Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1977.

Country Music as Viewed by Contemporary Folklore Scholarship. American Folklore Society, 1973.

Conference Panel Discussant:

Panelist in session "Bluegrass: Its Roots and Branches." Fire on the Mountain: A Bluegrass Symposium. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, February 6, 2010.

Plenary Session, The Oral Historian's Work: A Tribute to Edward D. "Sandy" Ives. Oral History Association, 2005.

Who Wrote 'Oh Death'? American Folklore Society, 2003.

What is Canadian About Canadian Folklore and Its Study? Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 2002.

Discussant for Barbro Klein's "A World of Nations: Internationalism and the Dilemma of Folklorists." Plenary Session. Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 2001.

Discussant for Norm Cohen's "The Sinking of the Titanic and the Floundering of American Folksong Scholarship." Music And Song Section Annual Phillips Barry Lecture. American Folklore Society, 1998.

The Social and Historical Contexts of Southern Vernacular Music. Revelations of Tradition, Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music and Its Legacy: A Symposium. Smithsonian Institution, 1997.

Folklorists as Broadcasters. American Folklore Society, 1996.

The Bluegrass Museum: Progress, Challenges & New Directions. International Bluegrass Music Association, 1996

Identity and Community: Interpreting Sound Metaphors. Society for Ethnomusicology/American Folklore Society, 1994.

Roundtable: Boundaries of Performance. Twenty Third International Ballad Conference of the Kommission für Volksdichtung, 1993.

Occupational Folklife and Working-Class Culture. Folklore Studies Association of Canada and Society for Socialist Studies, 1993.

A Re-evaluation of Canonicity in Folksong Scholarship. Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1992.

Oral Testimony and Historical Evidence. Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1992.

Coming to Terms with Subject Access. American Folklore Society, 1986.

Face the Music: From an Ethnomusicological Perspective. Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1986.

Public Sector or Freelancing. Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1985.

Current Techniques and Problems in Archiving. American Folklore Society, 1980.

Selling Folklore to the Public. Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1977.

Oral History of the American Folklore Society. American Folklore Society, 1969.

Problems in Studying Folklore, A Student Point of View. American Folklore Society, 1968.

Papers Read at Conferences:

“Fiddlers, Dancing, Art and Utility: What Isn’t Traditional?” Keynote Address, North Atlantic Fiddle Convention, Derry, Northern Ireland, 2012.

"The New Lost City Ramblers and Bluegrass." Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Louisville, KY, October 2008

"Family Values Seeger Style." Keynote address at "How Can I Keep from Singing?": A Seeger Family Tribute, Library of Congress, 2007.

"'How Will I Explain About You?': Intellectual and Academic Uses of Bluegrass." Keynote address at The Bluegrass Music Symposium, Western Kentucky University, 2005.

"'Little Darling Palomino': The Carter Family and Bluegrass Music." The Sunny Side of Life: The Carter Family and America's Music, Institute of United States Studies, University of London, 2002.

"'She's Like The Swallow': Creating a Cultural Icon." American Folklore Society, 1999.

"'She's Like The Swallow': Issues of Vernacular Identity in Song as Folksong." International Association for the Study of Popular Music, 1999.

"'She's Like The Swallow': Creating a Cultural Icon." Sharing the Voices: The Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium II, 1999.

"Compiling the Bill Monroe Discography: Challenges and Issues." International Country Music Conference, 1998.

"Following the Swallow: How a Folk Song Took Off." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1998.

"The Springhill Mine Disaster Songs and Canadian National Memory." American Folklore Society, 1997

"What's International About the International Bluegrass Music Association?" International Association for the Study of Popular Music, 1997.

"The Whole Don Messer Show: Local Elites and Proprietary Interests." Society for Ethnomusicology, 1996.

"The Folklore Studies Association of Canada: Whence and Whither." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1996.

"Examining the Gentrification Metaphor." American Folklore Society, 1995.

"Picking Myself Apart: A Hoosier Memoir." Society for Ethnomusicology/American Folklore Society, 1994.

"Don Messer's Modern Canadian Fiddle Canon." Canadian Society for Musical Traditions, 1993.

"Repetition, Innovation, and Representation in Don Messer's Media Repertoire." American Folklore Society, 1993.

"Don Messer's Modern Canadian Fiddle Canon." American Folklore Society, 1992.

"Constructing Bluegrass Reality: The Implications of Hillbilly History." California Folklore Society, 1991.

"Omar Blondahl's Contribution to the Newfoundland Folksong Canon." American Folklore Society; Canadian Society for Musical Traditions, 1990.

"The Canadianization of Newfoundland Folksong; or, the Newfoundlandization of Canadian Folksong." American Folklore Society, 1989.

"Country Music--Popular or Folk?" From Folk to Pop and Back Again: A Salt Sponsored Conference on the Interaction of Folk Culture and Popular Culture, 1989.

"Studying Country Music in Canada." Sixth Annual Country Music Conference, 1989.

"The Gerald S. Doyle Songsters and the Politics of Newfoundland Folksong." American Folklore Society, 1988.

"Folksong in Newfoundland: A Research History." International Conference on Ballads and Folksongs, 1988.

"Whose Music Is Canadian Country Music?" First Conference on Ethnomusicology in Canada, 1988.

"Country Music and Identity: The Afro-Canadian Case." Popular Culture Association, 1988.

"Starvation, Serendipity, and the Ambivalence of Bluegrass Revivalism." American Folklore Society, 1987.

"The Springhill Mine Disaster Songs." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1987.

"Folklore in a Frame: Bluegrass Comedy Routines." American Folklore Society, 1986.

"Folklore Archives and Networking." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1986.

"Studying Maritime Folklore in Secondary Schools: Some Suggestions." Conference on "Teaching Maritime Studies," 1985.

"Black Country Musicians in Atlantic Canada." American Folklore Society, 1985.

"Analytic Systems and the Real World: A Case Study." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1985.

"Automation in Canadian Folklore and Folklife Archives: A Survey." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1984.

"Automation in Canadian Folklore and Folklife Archives: A Survey." Washington Conference on Folklife and Automated Archives: Interdisciplinary Approaches, 1984. 

"Bill Monroe's 'John Henry': A Study in Textual Variation." American Folklore Society, 1983.

"The Folklorist and the Phonograph Record: An Introduction to Applied Discography." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1982.

"Presidential Address: The Devil in the Back Seat." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1980.

"The Folklore of New England and Atlantic Canada, The University Perspective: The Program at Memorial." Conference on Educational Problems in Canadian-American Relations, 1978.

"Big Fish, Small Pond: Country Musicians and Their Audiences." Folklore Studies Association of Canada, 1978.

"Folklore in Atlantic Canada." American Folklore Society, 1977.

"Good Time Charlie and the Bricklin." Canadian Historical Association, 1977.

"Oral History and Folksong: A Non-Elitist Look at Art." Oral History Association Colloquium, 1976.

"Folklore in Atlantic Canada: The Enigmatic Symbol." Atlantic Canada Institute Colloquium, 1976.

"Bluegrass Gospel Music." Popular Culture Association, 1976.

"Listening, Reading and Singing: A New Brunswick Songbook." Canadian Ethnology Society, 1976.

"'I Never Heard Anything Like that in My Life': The Five String Banjo in Nova Scotia." American Folklore Society, 1975.

"Country Music and Contemporary Folk Music Traditions in the Maritimes." Joint meeting of the International Association of Sound Archives, the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, and the International Association of Music Libraries, 1975.

"Conception Bay, Newfoundland: Change and Continuity in Folklore" (with David J. Hufford). Canadian Museums Association, 1974.

"Folklorists and Country Music." Popular Culture Association, 1974. 

"Country Music and Canadian Folk Traditions--A Regional Model." American Folklore Society, 1973.

"Repertoire, Style and Role: Amateur and Professional Folk Musicians." American Folklore Society, 1972.

"Some Traditional Criteria for Local Songs in Newfoundland." American Folklore Society, 1970.

"An Introduction to White Folklore about Negroes." Indiana College English Association, 1968.

"Hoosier Folklore in the Archives of Traditional Music." Hoosier Folklore Society, 1967.

"From Sound to Style: The Emergence of Bluegrass." American Folklore Society, 1966.

"The Parrot in Folklore from India to Indiana."  Hoosier Folklore Society, 1963.

Public lectures, workshops, seminars, etc.:

“Confessions of a Bluegrass Moonlighter.” Lecture, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 2018.

“Bluegrass: Scholarship and Realities.” Keynote address, Bluegrass Symposium, IBMA World of Bluegrass, Raleigh NC, 2017.

[Talk on Gerald S. Doyle Songbooks] Gerald S. Doyle Folk Song Festival, The Beaches Heritage Centre, Eastport, NL, 2009.

“Studying Vernacular Music in Newfoundland: The MUNFLA Song Title Index.” George Story Lecture, Newfoundland Historical Society, St. John’s NL, 2008.

Graduate, Leadership Bluegrass 2007 (3 day music business seminar conducted by the International Bluegrass Music Association)

Workshop Leader, with Shelley Posen and Terri Thomson, Folk Song Society of Greater Boston: Greenleaf and Mansfield's Sea Songs & Ballads of Newfoundland, 2007

Master of Ceremonies, The Folk Song Society of Greater Boston concert: "Sea Songs & Ballads of Newfoundland" 2007.

"Bluegrass: A History." Lecture, South Plains College, Levelland, Texas, April 1, 2003.

"Sound Intelligence: Discography as Ethnography." Lecture for the series Music, Media, and Culture, sponsored by Memorial University's School of Music, Department of Folklore, and the Canada Research Chair in Traditional Music, St. John's, Newfoundland, March 19, 2003.

"Bluegrass Odyssey: A Documentary in Pictures and Words, 1966-86." Lecture and slide presentation with Carl Fleischhauer of the National Digital Library Program, Library of Congress; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., February 27, 2002.  Jointly sponsored by the American Folklife Center, The Office of Scholarly Programs and the Center for the Book.

Guest Faculty Member, Banjo Camp North, Grotonwood, Massachusetts, May 4-6, 2001.

"Painting The Walls of Time: Assembling the Bill Monroe Discography." Public Lecture, Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, February 28, 2001.

"Storytelling Session." Host at 1-hour personal history session on the Stoneman Family with Patsy Stoneman and Roland White, International Bluegrass Music Association, World of Bluegrass 2000, Louisville, Kentucky, October 18, 2000.

"The Whole Don Messer Show: Local Elites and Proprietary Interests." Lecture, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia; St. Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, November, 1996.

"The Gentrification of American Bluegrass Music." Colloquium, National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. March 1995.

"Don Messer's Modern Canadian Fiddle Canon." Colloquium, School of Music, York University, Toronto, Ontario, October 1994.

"The Bluegrass Storytellers." Workshop, International Bluegrass Music Museum, Owensboro, Kentucky, September 1994.

"Folk Music, Newfoundland Music: Outsiders, Insiders and the Politics of Culture." Colloquium, School of Music, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., November 1993.

"The Roots of American Music." Lecture-concert series (with Prof. Toru Mitsui and the Redwood Canyon Ramblers). Kusu Children's Centre; Fukuoka American Centre; Sanda City Culture Room; Hamamatsu Civic Arts Centre; Sada Community Hall in Hirakata, Osaka; Kamiishizu Civic Centre, Gifu (all locations in Japan). May 1991.

"Black Music and Whites in the U.S.A." Public lecture, Department of English, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan, May 1991.

"Bluegrass--What is State of the Art?" Public workshop seminar, 1990 Tennessee Banjo Institute, Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, Tennessee, Nov. 1990. 

"Studying Contemporary Bluegrass." Public Lecture, Department of Music, University of Alberta, Oct. 1990.

"History of Bluegrass." Two public workshop seminars, 3rd Annual Merle Watson Memorial Festival, Wilkes Community College Gardens, Wilkesboro, North Carolina, April, 1990.

"Bluegrass: A History and Introduction." Public Lecture, Owensboro (Kentucky) Community College; Public Lecture for Programs in Folk Studies, Western Kentucky University. Sept., 1989.

"Workshop with Snuffy Jenkins, Pappy Sherrill and the Hired Hands on the History of Bluegrass, Its Early Radio Days, and the Impact of Earl Scruggs on the Development and Phenomenal Popularity of Bluegrass." Earl Scruggs Music Celebration, Gardner-Webb College, Boiling Springs, North Carolina. Sept., 1987.

"Reality and Revival in Bluegrass." Curriculum in Folklore, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sept., 1987.

"Bluegrass: An Illustrated History and Introduction." Department of Music, Carleton University. March, 1987.

"Workshop: How You Can Set Up and Use Folklore Archives." Ontario Folklore Conference. March, 1987.

"How to Collect Folklore--Part II: Participatory Collection with Bluegrass Musicians." Ontario Folklore Conference, Black Creek Pioneer Village, North York, Ont. March, 1987.

"'Save It, Save It': The Discovery, Naming and Preservation of Bluegrass." Department of Ethnomusicology, York University; Department of Performance Studies, New York University; Center for Popular Music, Middle Tennessee State University; Appalachian Studies Center, East Tennessee State University; American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. March-April, 1986.

"Five String Banjo Traditions in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia." Atlantic Canada Institute Summer School, University of Prince Edward Island. August, 1983.

"Folk Music Traditions in Canada" (three lectures). Department of Music, Queen's University. Nov., 1981.

"Canadian Country Music" (workshop). Canadian Folk Music Society. Sept. 1980.

"Folklore and Oral History Workshop." Eptek Centre, Summerside, P.E.I. 1978.

"Atlantic Folklore." New Brunswick Teachers' Association Associated Subject Council Workshop.  1977.

"Les etudes sur le folklore a Terre-Neuve." Conference du CELAT, Laval University. 1977.

"Ballads and Legends" (five lectures). Atlantic Canada Institute Summer School, University of Prince Edward Island. 1975.

"Atlantic Folk Music" (five lectures); Atlantic Folklore (five lectures). Atlantic Canada Institute Summer School, University of Prince Edward Island. 1974.

"Youth and Culture in Newfoundland." Human Relations Conference, Corner Brook High School, sponsored by the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. 1972.

CONSULTATIONS

Paul Spillenger, Gotta Travel On. Documentary Film. Scholarly Consultant, 2005-07

Marc Fields, The Banjo Project. Documentary Film. Consulting Scholar, 2003-2009

International Bluegrass Music Museum, Owensboro, Kentucky. Member of NEH funded Self Study Project Team, 1995-96.

Documentary Arts, Inc., Dallas. Provision of spoken materials recordings by three NEA National Heritage Fellows (Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe) for a radio magazine series. Jan. 1991.

American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Member of the Selection Panel for American Folk Music and Folklore Recordings 1989: A Selected List. Feb.-Aug. 1990

Cambium Film & Video Productions Ltd., Toronto. Provision of annotated recordings of Newfoundland Folk Music for reference use in the composition of a sound track for the video production of Bill Gough's novel Maude's House. July 1989

Principal Company (independent production company for ITV [Britain] Channel Four). On-camera consultant to television film "Echoes Of America." March-August 1989. 

American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Member of the Selection Panel for American Folk Music and Folklore Recordings 1988: A Selected List. March-August 1989.

Northside Films, Brooklyn, NY. Consultant to NEH funded film project "High Lonesome." 1987-91.

Dayton Cityfolk, Dayton, Ohio. Consultant, writer, and assistant stage manager for Ohio Arts Council supported concert project "The Dayton Bluegrass Reunion." 1988-89.

American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Contract to prepare a report on the impact of federal public works projects on the folk culture of America and the ways in which the Archeological and Historical Preservation Act can mitgate that impact. June, 1979.